


Helping Out

by PattRose



Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: 2020 Secret Santa The Sentinel Extravaganza, Christmas Story, Gen, friends - Freeform, friendships, gen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:55:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27466054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PattRose/pseuds/PattRose
Summary: Someone is helping at the food kitchen for Christmas Eve.  When Jim finds out he makes it a family project.  Because after all, the bullpen gang are their family and so is William.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14
Collections: Extravaganza - 2020 'The Sentinel Secret Santa'





	Helping Out

Blair had been taking off on Thursdays every week to go to the library and study more on police procedures. Even though he was better, most of the time, than Henri and Rafe. 

Jim decided to pick up some cobb salads from a restaurant and swing by the library to tell Blair to come home. It wouldn’t hurt him to come home a little early. Jim drove up to the library and frowned. Blair’s car wasn’t in the parking lot. Then he listened for Blair inside the library. Simple as that, he wasn’t there. It wasn’t a big deal. Jim figured that Blair might be making him something and needed the privacy. Jim just smiled and drove to the loft. 

_Blair is always so thoughtful. Such a good man and best friend. I certainly can’t complain about this at all._

At 6:oo, Blair still wasn’t home. Jim wasn’t worried yet. At 6:45 he was starving and getting a little irritated. Finally, at 8:00, in walked Blair. But Jim was pissed by this time. 

“Hey man, I’m so sorry I’m late. I got carried away at the library. Did you already eat?”

“No… I bought two cobb salads at Chili’s for dinner. Wash up and I’ll get them.” Jim hadn’t said a word about knowing Blair wasn’t at the library. 

When Blair came walking up to the table he realized that Jim was pissed off, and there had to be a reason.

 _Shit, he must have gone to the library._ Blair had the decency to blush when he looked at Jim. 

“Jim, I’ve been at the Soup Kitchen for the last four Thursdays. This is just the first one there’s been so much to do that I’m so late. I’m sorry I lied. I just didn’t want to get razzed by all of you.”

“Why would I razz you for working at the Soup Kitchen?”

“Everyone already thinks I’m a know-it-all, a pain in the neck and a do-gooder. I just wasn’t up to being teased. They need more help there than you can imagine.”

“Chief, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me the truth. I understand with Henri and Rafe, but me? I’ll help you next Thursday because it’s Christmas Eve. Okay?”

“That would be great, except that I’m going to be there from 1:00 that afternoon until midnight or later that night. After we stop serving, we are starting Christmas dinner. Joe, the guy that runs the place, has plenty of help for Christmas Day, but no help but me on Christmas Eve. We have to make 100 pounds of mashed potatoes, cook 20 turkeys and then slice them, and make stuffing, corn and rolls. Not to mention the baking of the pies for dessert. I don’t know how we’ll have time to do that. I think Joe is in over his head.”

“I’ll still help. Another person helping would be great, I think.”

“Jim, you have your dad coming over Christmas Eve, so I don’t want to hear another word about it.”

Jim got up and grabbed his phone and hit his dad on speed dial. He listened until he heard, “Ellison.”

“Hey, Dad. Guess what?”

“What, Jimmy?”

“The Soup Kitchen downtown doesn’t have any help on Christmas Eve to get things ready for Christmas Day. So, Blair and I are going to help. I’m going to see if anyone from the bullpen would like to go also. So how about we cancel Christmas Eve and just do Christmas?”

William thought a moment and said, “I can’t stay too late, but I would like to help too.”

“At the Soup Kitchen?” Jim was shocked. 

“I served meals there the day before Thanksgiving. I usually try and volunteer somewhere for every holiday. One year it was Easter and we had lamb. Some of the people wouldn’t eat it; they wanted fish. So we got some. But when that ran out, the ones who were left did eat the lamb, because they were so hungry.’

“Dad, I had no idea you did that.”

“Why would you? I don’t talk about it much.” William smiled thinking about Jim’s face he was probably making. “Jimmy, I want to serve food Christmas Eve and cook for the next day. But I would leave around 10:00. Would that be all right?”

“That would be great, Dad. Thank you. Do you want me to pick you up? I could take you home at 10:00.”

“That would be perfect, Jimmy. Thank you. I’ll see you on Thursday. Thank you for calling and giving me something to do.”

“You’re welcome, Dad. We’ll see you at about 1:00 or 2:00. Thank you. I’ll let you know for sure.”

Jim closed his cell and smiled at Blair. “One down, four to go. Maybe five. Hang on.”

Jim hit the station speed-dial next and Megan answered the phone. “Conner, may I help you?”

“Megan, it’s me, Jim. Why are you still there?”

“A lot of us are here. It went crazy after you left and we’re just finishing up right now. Why?”

“Would you get everyone to your desk and then put me on speaker phone. I have a proposition for all of you.”

“Be right back, Jimbo. 

Jim could hear Simon and Rafe talking about the case. Then he heard Henri and Joel. And of course he heard Megan tell them all to get over to her desk to talk to Jimbo. 

She walked up to her desk and said, “They’re all earlobes.”

“Megan it’s ears,” Jim pointed out. 

“I knew that, I was teasing. Now tell us what’s going on.”

Jim proceeded to tell everyone the problems of the Soup Kitchen and how he, Blair and his dad were all going to help and he wanted to know if they wanted to be part of it. 

“Simon, we all need to be there by 2:00 so I know it’ll be hard to do. But if not, you all could come for preparing the next day’s meal instead. Does any of this sound good to anyone?”

Simon was the first one to reply. “This is a terrific idea. It beats being all alone for the holiday. At least Christmas Eve will be taken care of. Count me in.”

“Me too,” Megan said, happily. 

“Me, three,” Henri said laughing. 

Joel said, “I’ll be there.” 

Rafe cleared his throat and asked, “Do we get paid for this?”

Everyone said at the very same moment, “No…”

He laughed and said, “Just kidding. Count me in.”

“If you come at end of shift, that’ll be great. We can work in the back and get things ready for Christmas Day. Thank you all so much. Blair is going to be so thrilled. In fact, hang on.”

“Hi, everyone. Boy oh boy, does Jim ever know how to get things moving. Do any of you have plans for Christmas dinner yet?”

“Is this an invitation, Blair?” Simon asked. 

It is. We would like all of you over for dinner. We’ll have turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, corn and asparagus. And all the pie you can eat. And I’ll make real whipping cream for the pies.”

Megan was the first to answer. “I’ll be there. I won’t feel sorry for myself from now on.”

Joel said, “I would love to.”

Henri and Rafe both said, “We’ll be there.”

Simon stated, “I’ll be there early to help out. Thank you for asking us, Blair.”

“You’re welcome, Simon. Now, I have things to do.”

Everyone yelled, “Bye.”

Blair turned to Jim and said, “I think we’ll be able to do it now. Tomorrow I’ll ask them all to bring a potato peeler. Then we’ll be set. Thank you for helping me get this going.”

“Thank you, Chief, for reminding me that Christmas isn’t always about us.”


End file.
